Up a Tree

Mel was planting some flowers and my neighbor Katerine came over with her pup and I joined them as we visited outside. I had brought both George outside with me when I came and Bentley, my lab was already comfortably resting in the front yard just watching for anything that moved. Bentley and George have a mutual respect for the others territory so seldom is there ever a scene of cat vs dog. But yesterday there was a new player introduced to the yard. Shamus, Katherine's King Charles. Shamus caught a glimpse of George on the porch and not ever seeing a cat before made curious and playful advances to George's place of retreat, barking confidently the whole time. It sent quite an blast of uneasy shivers down both of their spines. George bolted up the nearest tree in seconds flat, while Shamus who chased closely behind, was left looking up at this curious creature in total bewilderment. George sat perched, glad he had found safety. All three of us and Bentley too, watched the whole thing in total surprise. We didn't know George was such a great climber...and a fast one at that. Shamus soon lost interest, with Katherine's encouragement, and George came down as easily as he climbed up, only to taunt Shamus once again and this time head to the fence. Now it was a game.

Up a tree; it is such a common term that we have all heard growing up but to witness the actual event brings it to a reality. George was chased and ran for his life to a high place of safety. As I thought about that whole indecent later in the night, it occurred to me that all of these years I have looked at that comment from a negative perspective. If someone was up a tree, I counted them in trouble, with seemingly no way out. But in fact , as I watched George, he knew where to run for safety; to higher heights where no one else could reach him.

That is exactly what we are suppose to do when we are being chased by something that is scaring us. Run to higher heights, run to God. And perch there until your heart stops racing and the enemy has been distracted from its intended focus...you! I have seen George before when he stiffens his tail and the hairs on his back stand straight up, and he is ready for a fight, and he challenges the enemy. But watching him run as he did today makes me think that is not being a coward, that is knowing where your safety place is.

Too many times we do try to hold our ground in confidence and try to fight off the warfare that is before us. And warfare is a real issue. It is spiritual, mental and physical and it is in play at all times. The side of darkness vs light, bad vs good. But in all warfare it is best to know where your place of safety lies and run to it when things get heated and you are not to sure how to handle one situation or another. For safety lies in your relationship with Christ. Climb to his highest height and seek his protection, and his wisdom as he oversees what is going on around you and about you and within you.
He knows your fears and your weaknesses, and knows how to help you outrun and out fox the enemies that chase you.

George did not consider Shamus an enemy until he started barking at him and chasing him. And Shamus did not even know what a George was? He was barking out of curiosity and interest. Don't you think that too we are often scared of things that we don't understand or things that are unfamiliar to our mind-fill of knowledge. We fall on both sides, sometimes we run from those situations, and sometimes we bark at them. But the next time you find yourself up a tree, consider it a good thing; for when we climb up to the heights, it is there that we will find Christ Jesus, waiting to comfort us and to guide us and to give us a peaceful place of safety until it is time to disembark and once again journey out into the wilds of our worlds. From the heights of God's kingdom, we will find solace, and he will give us peace and he will give us perspective that will generate a strength and a confidence that we might not have even known we had.

Sometimes in order to see things a little more clearly we have to realize our smallness and climb up to see Christ's greatness!

Luke 19
Zacchaeus the Tax CollectorJesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
The higher you climb to seek the Lord the smaller those things that made you run up that tree in the first place become.

Dear Lord, Remind us to climb to our heights. and help us to accept your presence and be mindful of your watch over all things, and all situations. Amen

Praise God wherever you are and whatever situation He has allowed you to be in . . . His glory will shine through!